every one has a valid argument for and against but this forum really does attract emu haters more than anywhere else
even the mention of a wessex sets people off as to how they should all be scrapped never to be seen again because of how rubbish they are
I think that's a bit harsh - it's not so much "haters" as actually trying to point out a few salient facts about the realities and practicalities of EMU preservation / heritage use.
We've seen the complaints upthread about EPB 5001 - but it was offered for sale and nobody wanted to buy it. You can't force a preservation group or heritage railway to buy something they don't want. And those who keep on bemoaning its loss seem not to understand that.
The Wessex 442s have done over 30 years - from a public transport perspective they are life expired and there are other, newer 3rd rail EMUs which make far more sense for TOCs to use. So again, what happens to them ? Well, logically scrap. You can't run them away from the 3rd rail and they aren't really suitable for replacing any older stock. Converting them to anything else would be expensive and take time - and convert them to what ? No point in converting them to OHL EMUs - there's no shortage of those at present. Loco-haul stock ? Well when there are Mk3s and Mk4s already available and Mk5s coming on stream, what practical point would it serve ?
And then we come back to the cry "but BR ran specials with heritage EMUs" with the clear insinuation it's all the nasty privatised railway which is stopping this happening - but the truth, as ever, isn't as clear cut as that. Most of those "heritage" units BR did run were out of service by 1990 - only the 4SUB and 306 worked after that time. And unlike steam or diesel units, EMUs (of all types) are not of interest to the heritage railways, they don't attract the casual visitor, they are impractical to use and operate - even the Great Central, probably one of the most versatile and practical of the heritage lines struggled to make use of the 4BIG they had.
It's about being practical - and unfortunately EMUs aren't practical in the heritage or preserved scene in the way steam or diesel locos and units are.